Die Hard Sports Fan

In addition to signing Asante Samuel, the Eagles also signed DE Chris Clemons from the Raiders to a 5-year contract.  The Eagles have been quite busy and they are even interested in going after Randy Moss…so are the Cowboys.  So the influx of talent in the NFC East will make it even harder to repeat.  The Cowboys also have been busy, but the Redskins and the Giants have not.  We will have to keep a close eye on the NFL Draft because that’s the route the G-MEN are going to take.

Giants.com:

Mailbag for February 29, 2008 - Michael Eisen answers questions from Jints fans.

Did you Know? - Michael Eisen had a Q&A Session with Rich Seubert regarding his tenure on the Giants.

Newsday:

Giants lose Mitchell, Torbor and Wilson - By the time I wrote yesterday, we already knew that Mitchell went to Buffalo and Torbor went to Miami.  Later on in the day, Gibril Wilson agreed to a 6-year deal with the Oakland Raiders worth $39 million according to Bob Glauber.  Damn…that was quick.

New York Daily News:

Giants lose three from defense - Ralph Vacchiano covered the same story as Newsday.

New York Post:

WILSON, MITCHELL, AND TORBOR LEAVE JINTS - Paul Schwartz covered the same story as Newsday.

New York Times:

Giants Lose Three Players in Free Agency - The New York Times covered the same story as Newsday.

Samuel Leaves Patriots for a 6-Year Deal With the Eagles - Judy Battista reported that the Eagles ended up signing Asante Samuel as rumored.  Samuel signed a 6-year deal estimated at $10 million per year.  I don’t want talented people in the NFC East that aren’t part of the Big Blue Wrecking Crew.  Samuel is good for a pick every other game, and now we have to face him twice a year for 6 years.

The Star-Ledger:

…but don’t rule out Wilson - Mike Garafolo stated that he believes that Sammy Knight visited the Denver Broncos and left without a contract.  He also said that Eugene Wilson is still available.

Coleman gone - Mike Garafolo pointed out that Erik Coleman of the Jets has signed with the Atlanta Falcons so cross him off the list of possible candidates.

Giants lose 3 starters

Needell: Don’t freak over losing Wilson, either

Wilson gone

Needell: Eagles sign Samuel

Afternoon tidbits - Mike Garafolo provided a few tidbits yesterday afternoon:

• The Giants are also interested in Trent Green as a backup QB.
• Yahoo! reported that the Giants are interested in CB Jason Webster and DE N.D. Kalu.
• Derrick Ward has not left the G-MEN yet.

Share This

There are a whole bunch of rumors out there.  The Giants and the Jaguars are interested in QB Cleo Lemon who started in Miami in 2007 after Trent Green got injured.  Jerry Reese is in Tennessee to receive an award so he won’t be making any deals today.  Not only are the Eagles interested in Asante Samuel, but Samuel is expected to walk out of Philly with a big fat contract.  Bill Parcells is wheeling and dealing with everybody today.  There are rumor on top of what they have done already, but The Tuna has been very busy.  Parcells is also looking to add former Cowboys to the Dolphins like Julius Jones and Jason Fabini.  The Saints want Shockey.  They called up Jerry Reese to make a trade, and he declined.

I am very upset about losing 2 out of 4 free agents half way through the first day of Free Agency.  Mitchell signed with the Bills and Torbor agreed to terms with the Dolphins.  Hopefully JR will impress us like he did last season.

Newsday:

Raiders eyeing Giants safety Gibril Wilson - Bob Glauber hinted that the Raiders may offer Gibril Wilson a contract worth between $6 million and $6.5 million per year.  The Giants won’t offer anything close to that.

New York Post:

GIANTS PREPARE FOR WILSON’S DEPARTURE

The Star-Ledger:

Needell: Don’t freak - Paul Needell tells us why we Jints fans shouldn’t freak out about losing these players in Free Agency.

Safety updates - Mike Garafolo pointed out that Big Blue is interested Sammy Knight and Eugene Wilson, and Mike asks us which one we like better.

Bye, bye LBs - Mike Garafolo reported that Kawika Mitchell signed a 5-year deal with the Buffalo Bills for an estimated $17.5 million and a $3.5 million signing bonus.  Also, Reggie Torbor agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins.

A thought about Shockey - Rumors are circling about Jeremy Shockey being traded to the Saints, but Mike Garafolo doesn’t think it will happen.

NY Giants won’t spend freely in free agency

All’s quiet - Last night, Mike Garafolo said everything was quiet on the eve of free agency.

Needell: Another lesson…. - Paul Needell reported that the Cowboys resigned Flozell Adams.  Adams can continue to commit the false start penalties.

Share This

Hopefully you guys are keeping up with all of this Free Agent stuff around the NFL.  Teams are dumping players to get ready for Free Agency which begins at midnight as well as the Draft which is in April.  We aren’t going to cover every team, but there is some intersting things taking place.  I will let you know about the NFC East to an extent, and I will let you know about former Giants.  First, the Eagles supposedly cut Jevon ‘The Freak’ Kearse because he suffered a knee injury in 2006 and didn’t get many minutes in 2007.  Maybe Brian Dawkins will retire soon too…  We’ve heard the rumors that the Dolphins are interested in Reggie Torbor.  Bill Parcells is steering that ship, and may be able to sign Torbor as soon as tomorrow.  The Tuna always has something funny to say, and he was quoted as saying that he doesn’t want any “thugs and hoodlums” on his team.  Can he say that?

Giants.com:

Free Agency 101 - Giants.com provided a glossary of NFL Free Agency terms.

Newsday:

Giants GM Reese unlikely to chase free agents - Bob Glauber reminded us that the only Free Agent that the Giants signed last year was Kawika Mitchell, and it seems like Jerry Reese is only interested in DeAngelo Hall this year.  Glauber said that Hall is asking for close to $10 million so Reese might not go after him.  Bob wrote this about the players on the Giants that are about to become unrestricted free agents,

The Giants have only three unrestricted free agents, safety Gibril Wilson and linebackers Reggie Torbor and Mitchell, and they had hoped to keep them from reaching the open market. A person familiar with the Giants’ situation said it was virtually inconceivable that they would retain Wilson, and that it was “doubtful” they would keep Torbor and Mitchell.

That can come back and bite us in the rear if  we lose one safety and two linebackers.  If Mathias Kiwanuka has a healthy return then that will help fill one of these slots.  It seems like Reese is going to fill the holes with rookies if he doesn’t sign Hall.  The defense is what made that amazing run possible.  I hope that there is a smooth transition heading into ‘08.

Bob Glauber’s top 5 FAs - This is the top 5 Free Agents on Bob Glauber’s list, and he included a brief description about each of them in his article.

• Asante Samuel
• Randy Moss
• Alan Faneca
• Lance Briggs
• Justin Smith

New York Daily News:

Tom Coughlin to get 4 years, $21M - Gary Myers noted that this is the only thing left in Coach Coughlin’s contract, “There are only minor details and contract language to be completed, and the deal could be announced as early as next week.”

Jerry Reese’s way fine by John Mara - Ralph Vacchiano stated that John Mara is very confident in the way that Reese is assembling the roster.  At the bottom of the article, Vacchiano covered three other points as well:

Safety James Butler, a restricted free agent, got a one-year, second-round qualifying offer of $1.47 million from the Giants, who can match any offer he receives, and would get a second-round pick from any team that signs him.

QB Jared Lorenzen got a one-year, $927,000 tender. The Giants can match any offer he gets, but would get no compensation.

DE Adrian Awasom, who was arrested in Phoenix on “suspicion of extreme DUI” a few days before the Super Bowl, was not tendered and will become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow.

New York Post:

BIG BLUE MAY TURN ‘CORNER’ - Paul Schwartz reported that the Giants may or may not go after Hall because of Hall’s baggage.

New York Times:

Tyree Talks the Talk, and Also Wears the Helmet - Nate Schweber described when ”David Tyree spoke to students from Montclair High at the Yogi Berra Museum Wednesday night.”

The Star-Ledger:

Agent: Gibril to test market

Ward on his way out? - Mike Garafolo reported that it is unlikely that the Giants will resign Derrick Ward.  I’m very upset about that.  Ward was solid, and he was the best receiving RB on the Giants this year.  He added to the depth of the position.

NY Giants in search of a safety net

Coughlin to get $21M contract extension, NY Daily News reports

Giants not confident on Gibril - Mike Garafolo lets us know where the Giants and Gibril Wilson stand right now.  Garafolo also stated that Wilson is looking for $5 million per year, and how the Giants might go about replacing Gibril if he ends up leaving.  In my opinion, the Giants still have 22 hours to resign Wilson.  I believe that Wilson knows deep down that he isn’t worth $5 million per year.  Even if the Giants let him go, would the Jags or the Eagles pay that much?  So maybe he will realize that and stay with Big Blue for a little less.

Butler, Lorenzen tendered

Share This

Last night, I watched Super Bowl XLII for like the 20th time, and then I turned on the NFC Championship game for like the 20th time.  I fell asleep around halftime or the beginning of the 3rd Quarter.  I have watched the Cowboys, Packers, and Patriots games so many times since there is nothing else on television right now.  I am fortunate enough to have DVR through my cable company so I saved all of the Playoff games permantly.  I was wondering if any of you have done the same thing through DVR or TIVO.  I can’t get enough of those Road Warriors…  I just tried to track down some Giants pictures by looking for ‘Road Warrios’ and check out what I got…The original Road Warriors.  Hawk and Animal baby.  Google rocks!

Giants.com:

Fans Take - Fans talk about their emotions throughout the 2007 Giants season.

New York Times:

Reese Enjoys the Fruits of His Role in Scouting

The Star-Ledger:

RU’s Rice fulfills need for speed - Mike Garafolo covered how Ray Rice, of Rutgers, performed at the Scouting Combine.  Garafolo provided the latest on Gibril Wilson which is that the Giants still haven’t resigned him.  Previously, there were reports that the Eagles were interested in Wilson.  Yesterday, there was a report that the Jaguars were interested in Gibril.  Garafolo reminded us that both of those teams expressed interest in Wilson.  Mike also pointed out that Reggie Torbor will become an unrestricted free agent on Friday, and the Dolphins are interested in Torbor.  Garafolo also stated that Kawika Mitchell will become an unrestricted free agent on Friday, but the rumors are that Giants will sign Mitchell to a three-year deal.

Giants have Plan B if Hall slips by - Mike Garafolo revealed Plan B.  If the Giants are unable to get DeAngelo Hall, then they will look into drafting another corner.  Garafolo included some names in his article like Antoine Cason of Arizona, Leodis McKelvin of Troy, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of Tennessee State, and Aqib Talib of Kansas.  Mike also provided some details about each of these players.

Rotoworld.com:

Rotoworld.com - “NFL Network’s Adam Schefter reports those close to Michael Strahan expect him to play football again in 2008.”

Share This

Yesterday, I was wrong about why Tom Coughlin and Jerry Reese were holding those press conferences.  They were holding them to discuss the Combine, not Tom Coughlin’s contract extension.  There is plenty of Giants news today which is surprising because it’s the offseason.  Most of it is revolving around the ongoing rumors about New England videotaping opposing defenses.  Now a story was written about the Giants being videotaped during a Preseason game in 2006, and another story was written on how the Patriots have been doing it since 2000.  Also, there is a rumor that the Giants are interested in trading for DeAngelo Hall of the Falcons.

Newsday:

WFAN’s Boomer, Carton ‘having a blast’ - The G-MEN are not mentioned in this article, but Newsday categorized it as a Giants article. 

New York Daily News:

Giants: We’re open to new Strahan deal - Ralph Vacchiano provided us with a few notes about Big Blue.

• The Giants announced that they might be open to redoing Micheal Strahan’s one-year deal which is currently $4 million.
• John Mara stated that all of the Giants’ Assistant Coaches were given 2-year or 3-year contracts with raises.
• Last, rookie S Craig Dahl had a torn ACL which led to him failing his physical so he was cut by the Giants.

New York Post:

GIANTS TAKING CARE OF THEIR OWN - Paul Schwartz lets us know how the Giants are taking care of their own:

• The Giants and Tom Coughlin are still working on the contract extension.
• Tom Coughlin will speak at the Combine today, and Jerry Reese will speak at the Combine tomorrow.
• Gibril Wilson and Kawika Mitchell are set to become unrestricted free agents so the Giants want to re-sign them before they hit the open market.
• The Giants already re-signed Jeff Feagles and Lawrence Tynes, but they want to bring back Reggie Torbor and Derrick Ward.
• “For the second consecutive offseason, the Giants do not figure to be huge players in free agency. However, according to a published report, they are exploring the possibility of trading their first-round draft pick (31st overall) to the Falcons in exchange for cornerback DeAngelo Hall.”

REPORT: PATRIOTS* TAPED GIANTS IN 2006 - The NY Post continues to use an asterisk next to anything related to the Patriots.  The Post Staff Report wrote this “The Patriots were caught videotaping Giants assistant defensive coaches in the final preseason game of 2006, according to a new report.”  Nowhere does it say ‘allegedly’.  But seriously, nobody cares about the Preseason.  Following that, the Post Staff Report went on to say “The incident led the NFL to send out a letter to teams detailing interpretations of the rule against taping an opposing team’s signals, the New York Times reported today.”  It’s funny though.  You never heard of any of this stuff until the Jets allegedly tipped off the NFL about the Patriots stealing signals in Week 1.  Since then, other teams keep adding their two cents.

New York Times:

New Claim of Taping Emerges Against Patriots - When you open up the article, the picture is of Bill Belichick and Drew Bledsoe so you know it’s old.  John Branch and Greg Bishop wrote that this videotaping of opposing teams supposedly began in the preseason of 2000 (which is when Belichick became the Head Coach of the Pats), and those are the words of a “former Patriots player”.  I find that interesting because in 2007, supposedly none of the players knew what the coaches were doing…hmmm, makes me wonder.  Belichick told Commissioner Goodell that he misinterpreted the rules.  Many people have been questioning how much of an advantage this gives the Pats, so Branch and Bishop included on-the-field examples of how the Patriots would execute play calling by recognizing the formation of the defense.  I wrote it when the New York Football Giants won Super Bowl XLII, and I’ll write it again…God set things straight in the Super Bowl because the Patriots cheated.  The same thing happened in the World Series when the Tigers cheated and lost to the underdog Cardinals.

Giants Set to Reward Coughlin With Multiyear Deal

The Star-Ledger:

Coughlin’s press conference - Mike Garafolo provided the transcript of Tom Coughlin’s press conference.

DeAngelo is in Indy - Mike Garafolo lets you know the rumors why Hall is in Indianapolis.

NY Giants pursuing Falcons’ CB Hall - I already included the rumor about DeAngelo Hall, but he went on to discuss the topic more in depth.  The Giants originally were interested in Marcus Trufant (Seattle) and N’namdi Asomugha (Raiders), but both of them were franchised by their respective team.  Good thing we didn’t end up with Trufant because he was part of that Seattle team that quit once it started snowing in the Divisional Playoffs in Green Bay.  Trufant looked soft and did nothing.  Another player that the Giants were interested in was Asante Samuel (Patriots), but the Giants believe that most of his success has been due to the scheme rather than his individual talent.  Now back to Hall, he’s the real deal as far as Cornerbacks are concerned.  With that said, Hall comes with a whole lot of baggage.  He was fined $100 thousand last season for shouting at the Coach of the Falcons, Bobby Petrino.  Personally, I don’t want any part of DeAngelo Hall.  I don’t want the clowns of the NFL on the Giants.  We have Strahan and that is more than enough for me to handle.  The Giants are expected to cut R.W. McQuarters very soon, and they would cut Sam Madison as well if they work out this deal with Hall.

Coughlin’s deal a matter of time - We already covered the status of Coach Coughlin, but here’s a sidenote at the bottom of the article that I found interesting, “The Giants coaches and scouts had dinner last night at Shula’s Steakhouse in the Westin Hotel that’s connected to the RCA Dome. The irony of dining in a restaurant owned by the coach of the 1972 Dolphins a few weeks after preserving their spot as the only perfect Super Bowl champ in history wasn’t lost on Mara.  “I was a little disappointed to find out Coach Shula wasn’t picking up the tab,” Mara joked.”

Share This

Tom Coughlin will hold a press conference on Friday and Jerry Reese on Saturday.  It will most likely deal with Coach Coughlin’s contract.

Giants fans believe that Gibril Wilson should be franchised.  I’m not sold on that idea, but he obviously should be resigned and paid fairly.

The Star-Ledger:

Mara on Coughlin and more - Mike Garafolo pointed out where the Giants are in giving Tom Coughlin his contract extension.

No tag for Wilson - Mike Garafolo wrote this about the status of Gibril Wilson:

The Giants will not place the franchise tag on safety Gibril Wilson today, according to a team official who requested anonymity because the deadline hasn’t arrived yet. That means, if they can’t reach a deal with Wilson before the start of free agency next Friday, he can leave for another team (the Eagles?) without compensation. The Giants are hopeful something will get done, though

Let the combine begin - Mike Garafolo lets us know that he is in Indianapolis for the Combine.

Share This

The rumors have surfaced…The Giants and Tom Coughlin are close to finalizing a contract extension.  We all knew that that was coming.  It was just a matter of how long and how much, but that hasn’t been fully disclosed yet.  Below, Bob Glauber included some guestimates that sources provided him.  The rumors are a 4-year deal equal to or greater than $20 million.  One of the things that bothers me most about Coach Coughlin is the way is always jumping and screaming on the sidelines.  My problem with that is more out of concern than anything.  He looks like he is going to have a heart attack on every down.  I don’t want to turn on the TV one Sunday and see T.C. drop to the ground.  So I have every right to be concerned, and somebody should tell him to retire, reside on a tropical island, and relax.

Giants.com:

Fans Take - Niraj Prasad gathered the thoughts of Giants fans throughout the 2007 season.

Did you Know? - Michael Eisen sat down with Shaun O’Hara and discussed his NFL career.

Newsday:

Giants ready to reward Coughlin with extension - Bob Glauber reported that “Two league sources familiar with the Giants’ situation told Newsday yesterday that there are few hurdles left in negotiations, and that a deal could be completed sometime this week. One source said the contract will be a four-year extension through the 2011 season. No financial terms were disclosed, but the deal likely will average about $5 million - or perhaps slightly higher - per season.”  The sources also expects the deal to be complete in a few days, and then the Giants will make the announcement.  I’m not a huge fan of Coach Coughlin.  I can’t put my finger on a reason, but I never felt like I can relate to him.  I have no complaints about this extension though.  He just became the only Giants Coach not named Bill Parcells to win a Super Bowl.  So mums the word.

The Star-Ledger:

A few tidbits (so you know I’m breathing) - Mike Garafolo pointed out that:

• Tom Coughlin is close to getting his contract extension.
• Gibril Wilson is a free agent.  The Giants have not given Wilson a new deal yet.  The Giants need to lock Gibril up so he does not end up in the hands of the enemy.
• Kawika Mitchell is a free agent, and Big Blue may offer Mitchell a 3-year extension.
• The Giants are trying to re-sign Derrick Ward.
• The Giants will be looking for a DB in the first round of the draft.
• The Giants may make some cuts in February.

Share This